Olivia (Liv) Szyszkiewicz '20 Recruiting Profile

" To make your teammates look good instead of helping yourself" is an expectation I uphold of myself when playing the game of volleyball.  Encouraging  my teammates and keeping them positive is just as important to me as my level of skill on the court.  I am Olivia Szyszkiewicz and I have been playing volleyball since I was in the 2nd grade.  I am a junior at Union Catholic Regional High School and have been an all-around Varsity starter since my freshman year.  My freshman year our high school team came in first in our conference and in the county finals. My sophomore year we took first in our conference and second in the county finals.   I play various positions on the team.  I may not be 6 foot but I have a unique skill in that I can play all around and that is what keeps me in during every game.  I was named Third Team All Conference freshman year. Sophomore year I was named 1st team All-conference, 2nd team All- county and 3rd team All-State Non Public.   My junior year  I was named 1st team All-Conference and 1st team All-County and received two honors of being selected as NJ.com Union County player of the week and Union Catholic High School female player of the week.  My indoor high school team took first place in the County Championship game, we earned Sectional, Non-Public Division B Champs and made it to the States Non Public Finals but sadly lost.  I was just named to First Team All-Non-Public Group and Third Team All-State.

I am looking for a college that will help me advance my academic and athletic skills.  I plan to major in Marine Biology and therefore would like a school that is near the ocean.  My dream would be to become a marine biologist in order to help marine wildlife who have been injured accidentally or by the garbage that is polluting their ocean.  I want to help clean up the ocean, and learn more about the ways marine life interacts with their surroundings.  I have great sympathy and an even greater passion for these animals, and want to spend my life helping them as much as I can.  My GPA for sophomore year was a 3.890 and I am challenging myself this year by continuing with accelerated and advance placement classes.  I'm hoping that by following this path I can be accepted into an academically challenging college with a competitive volleyball program.  

I have been playing  beach volleyball for 5 years and have developed a true passion for the game.  I would love to commit to  a college with a competitive beach or indoor volleyball program.  I started playing beach volleyball in the summer of 2014 to improve my indoor skills but that quickly turned into a love for the game.  The extra time in the sand showed me how amazing the sport of beach volleyball is.  Beach has strengthened my mental game by not letting a mistake affect my next touch.  I learn from a mistake and then move on without letting it affect my positive attitude.  I only think about the next point and what I need to do in order to get it.  This past summer I played in several junior tournaments and challenged myself and played in two competitive Women's AA tournaments and earned a 1st and 2nd place win. This current season I have earned a 2nd place in the women's AA Division and took 1st place in an 18u tournament.  

Thank you for reading my profile and allowing me the opportunity to tell you a little bit about my passions in life- marine wildlife and beach volleyball.